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3.4 Improved interfaces for human-robot interaction
in urban search and rescue
The work of Baker et al. [9] proposes several modifications to the INEEL
interface [22, 55] for telerobotics in urban search and rescue (USAR).
The modifications are designed to decrease complexity and increase
usability of the interface by non-experienced users. This work is based
on the results of several past works of the same authors [10, 11], which
analyse several teleguide interfaces used in international competitions
and outline their points of strength and weaknesses.
Most of the modifications are oriented to reduce the cognitive work-
load imposed by the interface. For example, pan and tilt angles of the
camera are indicated by the position of a light cross overlaid on the
video display, rather than by separate meters. Proximity/collision in-
dicators are visualized as colored blocks around the video display, and
each one of them becomes visible only when an obstacle in the corre-
spondent direction is sufficiently near. Rarely consulted information
(e.g. battery charge) is treated as a system alert and visualized only
when it is necessary. The environment map is placed at the same level
of the video display, so that it is not tiring for the operator to shift his
attention from the video display to the map and vice versa (figure 13).
As a future work is indicated the possibility to fuse heat, sound and
CO2 sensor data as a color map overlaid on the video display.
Since it has been shown that most of collisions happen to the rear
of the robot, a rear camera is included and its video stream is displayed
above the video display (like a rear view mirror on a car).
Main points:
• Integration of sensor data in the same window to reduce cognitive
workload
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